Opening Lanes

Gary Lane
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Opening Lanes is based in large part on readers' questions.
Do you have a question about a particular opening line?
Baffled by a branch of the Benoni or Budapest? Submit your
questions (with you full name and country of residence please)
and perhaps Gary will reply in his next Chess Cafe column...
Yes, I have a question for Gary!
Early Retirement
What can one do when there is never enough time to play a
tournament or even go along to the local club? An outsider would
say take up gardening or some other hobby but chess players
know better! It is merely an indication to keep studying and play
a bit of postal chess. However, you still need to know your
openings.
I was pleased to hear from an old friend Marc Lacrosse from
Belgium who has a tale worth repeating to a larger audience: I
am a player of around 2000 strength and my professional duties
have kept me away from the clubs for almost ten years. I decided
a few months ago to go back to correspondence chess, a kind of
activity where a few experiences 20 years ago seemed to indicate
I could achieve much more satisfying games - and results! than
over the board. However years had gone and my already poor
opening knowledge had vanished in the meantime. Which
opening repertoire could I choose, knowing that nearly all
opponents would be much more aware of the latest refinements in
mainstream openings? I decided to explore a more established,
Sicilian marginal line: the one with an early Qb6 which can
sometimes lead to some of the lines I had begun to explore with
4...Bc5 and more often leads to subtle positions similar to those
of the Scheveningen. In my intention of beginning my games
with 1... e6, the variation that I would have to consider would
begin with 1 e4 e6 2 d4 c5 3 Nf3 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Qb6. As you
know, this so-called Kveinys variation has been played recently
by famous players (Khalifman, Svidler and Polgar among others).
For my initiation, I relied on an excellent thirty-page introduction
to this line that forms the second part of Zoran Ilic 1998 book
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The Sicilian with Qb6 and I began to play it. I presently have
several correspondence games running with that interesting
variation and everything goes nicely, excepted in one game
where I find myself dead lost after a few moves, after my
opponent -a 2462-Elo rated player- played a nice pawn sacrifice
which is not even considered in Zoran Ilic's book at an incredibly
early stage of the game. As this game is not finished, I cannot
give you a complete score, but we are now far from the critical
position, and I am desperately struggling to find some salvation.
Here is the beginning of the game: 1 e4 e6 2 d4 c5 3 Nf3 cxd4 4
Nxd4 Qb6 Here, instead of the main line Nb3, my opponent
played 5 Nb5 "a rather uninvestigated continuation that deserves
attention" as Zoran Ilic says. I answered 5...Bc5 (5...a6 is known
to be bad in view of 6 Be3 after which 6...Bc5? is met by 7 Bxc5
Qxc5 8 Qd6 Qxc2 9 Nc7 Kd8 10 Nxa8 Qc1+ 11.Qd1 whereas
6...Qa5+ 7 N5c3 Nc6 8 Nd2 b5 9 a4 leads to a position that is
known to be favourable for white). After 5...Bc5, Ilic gives 6 Qf3
a6 7 N5c3 Nc6 with a minimal edge for white in view of three
known games (Dutreeuw-Christiansen 1993; Kruppa-Mochalov
1993; and Kutuzovic-Sale 1996). But then came the surprise. My
opponent played 6.Be3!!, a move which is not mentioned by Ilic,
and that I had not considered myself. I should have checked my
database, as this had been played in two games. Valach-Kajan
(Sala 1994) went 6...d5 7 Bxc5 Qxc5 8 exd5 Bd7?! (8...a6 and
8...Nf6 are also losing) 9 N1c3 a6 10 Qd4 Qxd4 11 Nxd4 +- and
was 1-0 in 30 moves. I accepted the pawn with 6...Bxe3, as I
could not see any decent alternative. Then my opponent
continued with 7 fxe3 (7 Nd6+!? immediately is also far from
easy to meet but usually transposes) and play continued 7Qxe3
8 Be2. I played 8...Kd8 followed by 9 Nd6 Nh6 where one cannot
imagine that survival will be an easy matter for Black. What is
your feeling about it? For me, it looks like the whole Kveinys
variation is under a dark cloud, a very, very dark one, and I think
I will have to change my repertoire once again.
When you consider that this e-mail has been edited, you will
realise that all types of questions are well received, short or very
long! I have a lot of sympathy for Marcs situation because a new
move in an opening can decide a game if it unsettles you
regardless of how good it is after serious analysis. I have a
feeling that 6 Be3 cannot be the refutation otherwise a lot of top
players have been overlooking something when playing this line.
However, the following encounter indicates that it is awkward to
deal with at tournament level. My own suggestions for
improvements can be found in the notes.
Piotr Staniszewski-Leszek Ostrowski Polish Team Ch 1996
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Qb6 5 Nb5 Bc5 6 Be3!?
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An interesting idea to
deflect the bishop on c5
away from the defence of
the d6 square. It seems
such a fresh and new idea
that I almost feel guilty to
report that a search in the
books reveals that it was
played over 100 years ago.
For instance: 6Nf6 7
Bxc5 Qxc5 8 Nd6+ Ke7 9
Nxc8+ Rxc8 (this position
does not look so bad
although admittedly the king stuck in the centre is a long-term
problem for Black) 10 Bd3 Nc6 11 0-0 h5?! (the start of a
reckless kingside pawn advance) 12 Nd2 h4 13 h3 g5 with a
doubled-edged game, P.Morphy-L. Paulsen, New York 1857.
6Bxe3 7 fxe3 Qxe3+ The only true test of a gambit is grab
the pawn and see what happens! Of course, it is risky because
the dark-squares are weakened but White can only temporarily
install a knight on d6 because it can soon be ousted. 8 Be2
Na6 9 N1c3 Lacrosse suggests 9 Nd6+ as an improvement,
but I think Black should steer clear of a similar plan to the
game and instead opt for 9Ke7 to put pressure on the d6
knight when a sample line is 10 Rf1 Nh6 11 N1c3 Qc5 12 Nc4
d6 and I prefer Blacks chances. 9Nf6?! Perhaps 9Nh6
should be considered. 10 Nd6+ Kf8 11 Rf1
White has a lead in
development and has also
deprived Black of the right
to castle for the sake of a
sacrificed pawn. That
represents good value and
the next stage is to
organise an attack before
Black can muster a decent
defence. 11h5 12 Nc4!
A theme of this line is to
threaten the knight on f6
with the combination of
the text to attack the queen followed by e4-e5. It has the effect
of highlighting Blacks poor development. 12Qg5 Or
12Qc5 13 e5 Ng8 14 Ne4 with advantage to White. 13
Qd6+ Kg8 14 Qe7 d6 15 Nxd6 Bd7 16 Nxf7 White is a pawn
up with an attack, which will surely prompt more people to
play 6 Be3. 16Qh4+ 17 g3 Qxh2 18 0-0-0
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The material level is equal
but a quick glance at the
position indicates that
Staniszewski would be
much the happier of the
two players. By whisking
the king to safety on the
queenside he can
concentrate on pursuing
the attack with the extra
help of the queens rook.
18Re8 19 Qa3 Kxf7 20
Rxd7+ The pinned knight
allows White to get his piece back and allow a strong rook on
the seventh rank. 20Kg6 21 Rxb7 Nb8 22 Qxa7 Rhg8 23
e5 Nfd7 24 Qe3 White has a winning advantage and now
seeks to seal the victory with a fine, mating attack. The game
concluded: 24Kh7 25 Bd3+ Kh8 26 Qe4 g6 27 Qf4 Re7 28
Ne4 Reg7 29 Qg5 Qg2 30 Nf6 Rh7 31 Nxh7 Qxb7 32 Qh6
1-0
If Black does not accept the gambit then he has to cope with
some early pressure.
Alexel Hruciov-Krasimir Rusev World under 18 Ch
Oropesa del Mar 2000
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Bc5 5 Nb5 Qb6 6 Be3
Bxe3 7 fxe3 It is possible to play 7 Nd6+ but I think Black can
hold on after 7Kf8 8 fxe3 Qxe3+ 9 Be2 Nc6 10 Rf1 Nf6 11
Na3 b6 12 Nac4 Qc5 when White will struggle to safely play
e4-e5 resulting in the initiative evaporating. 7Nf6
Instead of grabbing the
pawn on e3 Black decides
to get his pieces into the
action. 8 Nd6+ Ke7 9 Nc4
Qc5 10 e5 Ne8 Although
the black knight has been
knocked off its perch on f6
at least now it is covering
the important d6 square.
11 Nc3 b5 Perhaps 11f5
is worth considering. 12
Ne4 Qd5 13 Ncd6 Nc6 14
Bxb5 Qxe5 Rusev
eliminates the defence of the knight on d6, which encourages
exchanges. 15 Bxc6 dxc6 16 Qd4 Qxd4 17 Nxc8+ Rxc8 18
exd4 Nf6 19 Nc5 Nd7 20 Nxd7 Kxd7 21 0-0-0
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The ending looks to be
heading towards a draw
but White soon activates
his rooks to give himself a
winning advantage. The
game concluded: 21Kd6
22 Rhe1 f6 23 Re3 Rhe8
24 Ra3 Re7 25 Ra6 Rb7
26 Rd3 Rcc7 27 c4 e5 28
dxe5+ Kxe5 29 Kc2 Ke4
30 Rd6 Rb6 31 Ra5 c5 32
Rd5 Rbc6 33 Kd2 Rb7 34
Kc2 f5 35 Raxc5 Rxc5 36
Rxc5 f4 37 Rg5 Ke3 38 Kc3 Rd7 39 c5 g6 40 b4 a6 41 Kc4
Rd4+ 42 Kb3 Rd3+ 43 Ka4 Rc3 44 Ka5 1-0
Gertjan Thomassen of the Netherlands took an interest in
last months column that briefly mentioned an obscure line in
the Budapest Gambit. The good news is that he has tracked
down a refutation by John Nunn.
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e5 3 dxe5 Ng4 4 e4 Nxe5 5 f4 Nbc6?
This is the position that
attracted the interest of
Mike Savere from
Philadelphia USA. I have
to say to be fair that
although Bogdan Lalic did
mention it in his book on
the opening, he did think it
was dubious. 6 fxe5 Qh4+
7 Kd2 Qf4+ 8 Kc3!
Qxe5+ 9 Kd2 Now that
the e5 pawn has been taken
White can avoid the series
of checks upon 9Qf4+? 10 Ke1 Qh4+ 11 g3 Qxe4+ 12 Qe2
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This is the big difference
because the absence of the
e5 pawn means that the
exchange of queens gives
White a winning ending.
It is always for players
who want to improve to try
and find a different
approach in the opening.
However, sometimes a
little guidance in the right
direction can be helpful.
Antonio Garcia Soares Junior from So Paulo, Brazil
admits to playing a doubtful line but wants to know of an
improvement. He writes When I play: 1 d4 d5 2 Nc3 e6 3 a3
Nc6 4 Nf3 Nf6 5 e3 Bd6 6 Bd3 0-0 7 0-0 b6 8 Bd2 ... I think I
am doing something real cool here, until I met this: 1 d4 d5 2
Nc3 e6 3 a3 c5! 4 dxc5 Qf6! 5 Nf3 Bxc5 6 ? What do I need to
do to avoid this line? Is my opening weak or my conception is
bad here?
I think your third move is fairly original but you could do
better. For instance: 1 d4 d5 2 Nc3 e6 3 a3!?
It shows imagination by
you to think of ways to
stop Black pinning the
knight with his kings
bishop but it can prove to
be a waste of time if your
opponent chooses a
different set-up. One idea
is 3 e4 transposing to the
French Defence, which
will certainly catch out
anyone who does not play
it against 1 e4. 3c5 You
mention your success with the line 3Nc6 4 Nf3 Nf6 5 e3
Bd6 6 Bd3 0-0 7 0-0 b6 8 Bd2. I think the chances are roughly
equal and you do well probably because you have managed to
develop your pieces and are ready to attack. A similar system
that I can recommend and have examined in previous articles
is the The Colle-Zukertot when a sample line is 1 d4 d5 2 Nf3
e6 3 e3 c5 4 b3 (White wishes to play 4 Bd3 similar to you
game but at the moment 4c4 would be inconvenient)
4Nf6 5 Bd3 Be7 6 Bb2 0-0 7 0-0 when you have managed
to develop most of your pieces and there are opportunities to
attack on the kingside. Although, it is true that I have recently
written a book on the Colle I really do think it would be
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particularly appropriate for someone who is still developing
his or her 1 d4 repertoire. 4 dxc5 Qf6 5 Nf3 Bxc5
I think Black has already
equalised in the opening
and it is time to start
looking for a new opening!
Finally, Theo Jurrius
from Holland is interested
in a line that reached the
heights of fashion around
the 1620s! He says, Can
you tell me more about the
line 1e4 e5 2 Bc4 f5?! I
know that 3 d3 Nf6 4 f4 d6
5 Nf3 is good for White, in one game I tried 3 d3 b5?! 4 Bxg8
Rxg8 5 Qh5+ g6 6 Qxh7 Rg7 7 Qh8 Kf7 does white have
good line after 3b5? What about 3 Bxg8 Rxg8 4 Qh5+ g6 5
Qxh7 Rg7 6 Qh8 fxe4? I think that black isn't bad in this
line.
It certainly sounds a novel way of meeting the Bishops
Opening but only adventurous players should read on because
you need to love gambits to play such a reckless opening. In
1620 Greceo published this game, which he probably made up
as an example:
Anonymous-Gioacchino Greco Europe 1620
1 e4 e5 2 Bc4 f5
Many years ago gambits
were particularly attractive
because defensive
techniques had not been
worked out ensuring that
whoever was attacking
used to be favourite to win.
Nowadays this line is
apparently known as the
Calabrese Counter Gambit.
3 Bxg8 Rxg8 4 Qh5+ g6 5
Qxh7 Rg7 6 Qh8 Qg5 7
Qh3 fxe4 8 Nc3 Qf5 9
Qe3 Rf7 10 Nh3 d5 11 Nxd5 Nc6 12 c3? A modern player
would probably try 12 Qg5 in an attempt to enter the ending.
12Be6 13 c4 Nd4 14 Qc3 Qg4
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A dream position for Black
who is easily winning. 15
0-0 Ne2+ 0-1
At this point I would like
to say how that modern
players have developed
opening knowledge over
the centuries and that with
the aid of computers only
main lines are considered.
Then again, at this years
British Champion I noticed
a player who is still trying to follow Grecos analysis:
David Adams-Mark Lyell British Ch Scarborough 2001
1 e4 e5 2 Bc4 f5 3 Nc3 Or 3 d3 when M.Yeo-M.Lyell, British
Team Ch (NCL) 1999 demonstrated that it is not the first time
that Black has dabbled with this unusual line and had a fine
game after Nf6 4 Nf3 Nc6 5 0-0 Bc5 6 Nc3 d6 7 Ng5 Qe7 8
Bf7+ Kf8 9 Nd5 (if 9 Bb3 then 9f4 to cut off Whites
dark-squared bishop gives some compensation for giving up
the right to castle) 9Nxd5 10 Bxd5 f4 11 Qh5 g6 12 Qh6+
Qg7 13 Qxg7+ Kxg7 14 c3 Kf6 15 Nf3 g5 16 b4 Bb6 17 Nd2
Ne7 18 Bb3 c6 19 Bb2 h5 when Black had good chances on
the kingside. The suggestion of 3b5 looks great as a weapon
in Blitz but must be one pawn too many 4 Bxb5 when Black
has no compensation for his pawn but at least knows how to
have fun. 3Nf6 4 d3
White is not trying to go
for an all out refutation and
instead takes the sensible
course of adopting a set-up
similar to the Vienna.
4Nc6 Also possible:
4Bc5 5 Be3 Bb6 6 Bxb6
axb6 7 Nf3 d6 8 Qd2 h6 9
0-0 f4 10 d4! (Once Black
tries to close down the
kingside it makes senses
for White to open the
centre) 10Nc6 11 Bb5
Bd7 12 Rfe1 exd4 13 Nxd4 Nxd4 14 Bxd7+ Qxd7 15 Qxd4
0-0 16 Rad1 Qg4 17 f3 Qg6 18 Qc4+ Rf7 19 e5 dxe5 20 Rxe5
Kh8 21 Ne4 gave White the better chances in
M.Brown-C.Berger, Parsippany USA 2001. 5 a3!? This would
certainly put off Black from his normal opening theory but is a
little bit passive. I would suggest 5 Nf3 Bc5 6 0-0 d6 7 Bg5
when Black is playing the Kings Gambit Declined with a
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tempo less. 5Bc5 6 Nf3 d6 7 Bg5 f4 7h6!? looks
reasonable so that if White takes on f6 Black can recapture
with the queen. 8 Nd5 Bg4 9 c3 a6 10 b4 Ba7 11 Ba2 h6 12
Bxf6 gxf6 13 Qb3 Bxf3 Perhaps 13Bh5 should be
considered to cover the f7 square when 14 Nh4 heading for f5
holds on to the advantage. 14 gxf3 Rf8 15 Rg1 Qd7
16 Nxf6+! The start of a
clever combination that
wins material. 16Rxf6
17 Rg8+ Rf8 18 Rxf8+
Kxf8 19 Qg8+ Ke7 20
Qxa8 Qh3 21 0-0-0 Bxf2
22 Qg8 If 22 Qxb7! Kb7
then 23 Bb3! intending
Bb3-a4 looks like a killer
move. 22Be3+ 23 Kb1
Qxf3 24 Qg7+ Kd8 25
Qg8+ Ke7 26 Bb3 Qh5 27
Qc8 Bb6 28 Qe6+ Kd8 29
Qg8+ Kd7 30 Be6+ Ke7 31 Bg4 Qf7 32 Qxf7+ Kxf7 33 Bc8
Nd8 34 d4 Kf6 35 Kc2 a5? 36 bxa5 Bxa5 37 dxe5+ Ke7
37Kxe5 runs into 38 Rd5+ and the bishop will leave the
board. 38 exd6+ cxd6 39 Rf1 Bc7 40 Rxf4 Nf7 41 Bxb7 Ng5
42 Rh4 1-0.
Has anyone been playing wild gambits? If so then e-mail me with
your suggestions.
Copyright 2001 Gary Lane. All Rights Reserved.
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and country of residence. Yes, I have a question
for Gary!
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Opening Lanes
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